But let's not get caught up in simple notions in our head. They can give someone a very bad Zen illness. Zen Master Lin-Chi said, "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet a Patriarch, kill the Patriarch." What does this mean? Some people hearing this could think, "Wow! Zen is about murdering people!" But this teaching is very, very clear once you understand it's direction. Kill the Buddha means put down your notions, put down your, 'I know all truth" ideology-completely put everything you think you know down. Let your mind do some resting. Who is Buddha? Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who is Mohammed? Who is Krishna? If you say anything in reponse to these you are already in hell. (Grabs a cup and drinks from it) Many of us suppose to know, though we admit a limited amount, about God-about Buddha. But what do we know? If one goes out looking for something, like "God", then by their preconception of what they will find, they taint the reality of whatever it is they do find. I go into it all saying, "I want to find God"-well if you already know there is a God to find-what are you looking for? We need to not know God to find God. We must be ready to want and attain to find nothing. Then we can find anything. But it is important to first erase all preconceptions, notions, suspicions about what we will find. Just look. Just looking means, "I already understand." I already understand means I don't understand anything. Because originally there was never anything to understand. A clear mind just acts. The sun makes the flowers grow-a child needs help, help them. Once you see a human beings relationship to all beings-then your way becomes very clear. But understanding there was never anything to understand, takes some understanding. I am not trying to take away from those religions and persons that have a "deep connection to God"-I am attempting to enrich that experience for them. The moment you say, "I don't know"- you are free. Nasruddin looked for his key, though not where he knew he lost it yes? nasruddin is looking anywhere and everywhere for his key. Nasruddin understood that looking for his key was insiginificant. Looking is the key. Have you found that point? Just looking? Just smelling? Just tasting? Just touching? Just hearing? As we said in "Who Am I?"- those points are completely before all subsequent thought. So we ask again. What don't you understand? What are you looking for? What do you even think you will get from reading this? Will you gain anything from this? Will you lose anything from this? Many people do meditation looking to get some thing out of it. Maybe a relaxed state, some peace. That is not a bad thing. That is also not a good thing. But what happens when they sit down and want to get this some thing out of it so bad-that they get discouraged and upset when such states do not occur? Maybe this person stops their meditation practice because it seems to have "failed" them. So just like looking is the key-just siting is the key. A completely clear mind has no obstacles. When you are just siting you should have a clear mind. And if your mind is clear, you don't look to get any thing out of it. perhaps you become relaxed as a byproduct. That is wonderful news. But if one goes into meditation saying, "I want this and that and this and that"-chances are, they will not find much outside of discouragement and lack of faith in what they are doing. It's a bit like those people who's notions of what is going to make them happy, chains them to sadness. Always wanting to get this and that to be happy-wanting to steer clear of that or this to avoid sadness. Sad and happy are the illusion. A simple state of mind. A state of mind is just that-behind it the mind is still clear-not happy or sad. If you can atain a clear mind like that, you will knows true freedom and have no obstacles. say there is someone who says, "As soon as I get my PhD, I will be happy in life." But what about the moment when they say that? This PhD might be a long way off. So this person is delaying happiness in the present moment, in order to "get it" later on. So in a very big way, this person's notion of what is going to bring them happiness, keeps them chained to misery. If you want your PhD-just do it. Moment to moment just do anything that you are doing, all of the way. Don't create happy states, sad states. Just being has absolutely nothing at all to do with either of them.
